12 noon 13 July 2025
Island Games, Group A
Hitra 2 Isle of Man 7 (att 208) at Firth
It's 32 years since my only previous experience of Island Games football. That was on the Isle of Wight and, in one of the two games I saw, the Isle of Man lost to the hosts.
They did rather better this time, getting a comfortable win against the Norwegian island of Hitra. The Island Games is a sort of mini Olympics for small islands, and Orkney is hosting the 2025 event.
Seven grounds are being used for the football tournament. I've been to two of them on previous trips to the islands, and was tempted to travel north as it's just possible to visit the other five over three days.
This game was on a pitch at Firth Primary School in the village of Finstown. It's home to Firth FC who play in the second tier of the Orkney League.
It's just a pitch, but a scenic one and it was roped off for this match with tents providing dugouts. Organisation was excellent with programmes and refreshments, including excellent Orkney ice cream, available.
I expected Isle of Man to win this comfortably, and ultimately they did although it took them a while to shake of Hitra. They were ahead after two minutes, and scored again after six, but a penalty soon allowed Hitra back into the contest.
The Isle of Man scored again for 3-1 but then conceded again. They got a fourth before half time though, and held a 4-2 lead into the break.
They second half was more comfortable for the Manxmen, aided by a Hitra red card about 10 minutes after the restart. With a man advantage they added three more goals, the first of them a penalty.
Very glad you enjoyed your time at our wonderful ground!
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